The present invention relates to diagnostic processes and systems for analyzing diagnostic information received from a defective home electronic device, and identifying the most likely repair(s) that will correct the defective condition.
Home electronic devices have become more prolific and more complicated in recent years. Such devices include, but are not limited to televisions, DVD players, audio systems, phone systems, telephones, vacuum cleaners, HVAC systems, computers, computer peripherals, health and exercise equipment, musical instruments, and a wide range of appliances. In some cases home electronic systems are relatively inexpensive, encouraging replacement of such defective devices rather than diagnosing and repairing the defect. However, in other cases the cost of the device is significantly greater and/or replacement of the device may be cumbersome, making diagnosis and repair more desirable.
Other factors influencing the response to defects in home electronic devices include the sophistication of the devices and the reliability of any diagnosis of the defective condition. As the home electronic devices become more and more sophisticated, the ability to monitor circuits and mechanisms within the device generally improves, and user interfaces may allow easier access to such diagnostic information. The availability of such additional information, in the hands of qualified technician, can enhance the reliability of the diagnostic analysis, reduce the time necessary for such analysis, and mitigate the likelihood of exploratory repairs which may be unnecessary and add to the repair cost.
However, despite the growing sophistication of home electronic devices, dedicated diagnostic products and processes have lagged behind the evolution of diagnostic products used in other fields, such as automotive diagnostic products. To some extent this may be due to a lack of standardization of diagnostic information available from home electronic systems, in relation to the growing standardization of information from vehicular electronic systems. Nonetheless, despite such standardization of communication protocols, diagnostic trouble codes or monitor identifiers, some of the same analytical techniques may be applicable and highly user to achieve more efficient and less costly repairs of home electronic devices. Once such analytical technique is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/823,757, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,068,951, which is owned by the owner of the present application. That patent discloses a method of comparing sets of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) to stored sets of trouble codes in a database, wherein the stored sets trouble codes are associated with diagnostic solutions. The possible diagnostic solutions are thus prioritized in accordance with ranked matches of the combined sets of received DTCs to the sets of DTCs stored in the prior experience database, with the possible diagnostic solution associated with the highest ranked stored sets of DTCs being indentified as the most likely solution. Once the most likely solution is identified, then the system can proceed to perform additional functions, such as reviewing related diagnostic data useful to confirm the most likely solution and/or accessing repair procedures corresponding to the most likely solution.
Where a most likely solution is identified, the cost of any needed replacement parts and the cost of the repairs procedure can then be more reliably estimated, and the homeowner/consumer is better positioned to evaluate whether to repair or replace the device.
Where such identification of the most likely solution can be readily identified by a technician or consumer, the cost for the diagnosis can be reduced and the consumer can be more confident in the accuracy of the diagnosis. As described below, the present invention allows use of such enhanced diagnostic techniques for home electronic devices having compatible control systems and diagnostic interfaces.